Jon Paepcke

5 days ago | wvtm13.com | Jon Paepcke

OR BRITTANY FOR AMERICANS 20 TO 24 YEARS OLD, WHICH IS THE AGE GROUP FOR COLLEGE GRADUATES. THE THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE RIGHT NOW IS TWICE AS HIGH AS THE NATIONAL AVERAGE, LEAVING COLLEGE GRADS WITH DIPLOMAS LIKE THE ONES HERE AT UAB TAKING ANYTHING THEY CAN GET. ELENA ARJONA IS A RECENT UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY GRAD AND AN INTERN IN THE WVTM 13 CREATIVE SERVICES DEPARTMENT. I THINK YOUR FIRST JOB IS ALWAYS YOUR HARDEST JOB, AND I THINK IT’S HARD TO FIND YOUR FIRST JOB RIGHT NOW.

1 week ago | wvtm13.com | Jon Paepcke

Hanceville citizens will be without their own crime-fighting force for at least another year.In February, a Cullman County Grand Jury called for the Hanceville Police Department to be shut down following the arrest of its Chief and four officers.The city voted to suspend the department in March.The officer arrests stemmed from evidence tampering and corruption allegations. Originally, the city planned to hire a new chief and start from scratch after about a month.

1 week ago | kesq.com | Jon Paepcke

By Jon PaepckeClick here for updates on this story STEELE, Alabama ( WVTM) - Chad Smith and his family have owned this Steele, Alabama, tomato farm for more than half of a century. He claims this month's regular monsoons are damaging his livelihood. "This May, it's like every other day. You're having a storm, you're having wind, you're having hail," Smith said. The impact is obvious on several of his six-week-old plants, but the constant rain presents the bigger problem right now.

1 week ago | wvtm13.com | Jon Paepcke

Chad Smith and his family have owned this Steele, Alabama tomato farm for more than half of a century. He claims this month's regular monsoons are damaging his livelihood. “This May, it's like every other day. You're having a storm, you're having wind, you're having hail,” Smith said. The impact is obvious on several of his six-week-old plants, but it is the constant rain which presents the bigger problem right now.

1 week ago | wvtm13.com | Jon Paepcke

Lashunda Scales says urban blight, like burned-out apartment buildings on Ensley 5 Points West Avenue, is a sign that Birmingham is on life support. Tack on last year's record-high homicide numbers, and the Jefferson County commissioner believes it's time for a change in the mayor's office. She claims she's ready to keep the city from fading any further by putting residents first. “You matter every year. You're the boss.